Increases penalties and eliminates warnings for Hawaii Pesticides Law violations that result in bodily injury.
Appropriates funds to continue and expand health care apprenticeship programs at UH community colleges.
Allows taxpayers a twenty-five per cent income tax deduction for amounts received as rent from recipients of the housing choice voucher program.
Specifies that certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code related to at-risk rules and deductions and to passive activity losses do not apply with respect to claims from the state low-income housing tax credit.
Establishes that possession of recently stolen property, with no satisfactory explanation, is prima facie evidence of knowledge that the property has been stolen.
Increases the minimum wage rate to $12 per hour beginning 01/01/19, $13.50 per hour beginning 01/01/20, and $15 per hour beginning 01/01/21. Beginning 01/01/19, allows an employer to pay to an employee a wage that is at least ninety per cent of the applicable minimum wage rate if the employer employs less than fifty employees, the employee is under the age of sixteen, or during the employee's initial thirty days of employment with the employer.
Requires merchants to refund shipping and handling charges paid by the consumer when the consumer returns a damaged or defective good and requests a refund.
Requires the court and the prosecution to take appropriate action to ensure a prompt trial in order to minimize the length of time a child victim or witness must endure the stress of the child's involvement in the proceedings. Establishes in the department of the attorney general a child abuse investigation unit. Allows the department of the attorney general to intervene in adjudications in family court.
Establishes a family leave insurance program, which requires employees to make contributions into a trust fund that can be used to provide employees with family leave insurance benefits to care for a designated person. Amends the amount and duration of family leave payable to covered individuals. Expands the class of employers who are subject to the family leave law. Appropriates funds to the department of labor and industrial relations to implement the family leave insurance program. Requires a study to be performed by the department of labor and industrial relations and an actuarial study to be performed by the department of budget and finance.
Establishes a single-payer universal health care insurance system to provide the same high-quality level of medically necessary health care to all Hawaii residents. Prohibits private health care insurers from duplicating the coverages provided by the system. Establishes the state health care insurance planning and financing authority within the department of health to operate the system. Provides the structure and duties of the authority. Requires that the functions, rights, powers, duties, and appropriations of the Hawaii health authority, DLIR as they relate to the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act, and Hawaii employer union health benefits trust fund be transferred to the state health care insurance planning and financing authority. Repeals the Hawaii health authority. Appropriates funds to the state health care insurance planning and financing authority to establish and operate the single-payer universal health care insurance system.
